Hey 'Vampire Diaries' Fans, Stop Hating On Elena

This is basically my version of Chris Crocker’s ‘Leave Britney Alone’ video. Except it’s about Elena. And it’s not a video.

I’ve got a bone to pick with you, Vampire Diariesfans. OK, some of you. I’m used to seeing strong, often crazy, responses following a particularly intense episode — but the comments I saw from “fans” after the Feb. 9 episode, “Dangerous Liaisons,” were borderline disturbing. A quick search in the comments section of my recap yielded more than 25 results for the word “hate,” all of which were directed at Elena (Nina Dobrev) for what she did to Damon (Ian Somerhalder.) I think it’s time we all take a massive chill pill.

I don’t care which ship you sail on; you need to take a step back and look at Elena’s situation objectively. Elena may have strong feelings for Damon, but she and Stefan (Paul Wesley) dated for a long time — like two seasons. She can’t totally abandon ship (pun not intended, I swear) until she knows there’s no chance of getting back what they once had. Meanwhile, she and Damon have never been in an actual relationship. In fact, they’ve only kissed. Twice.

Elena also knows that Stefan isn’t being himself — which we saw during their back-and-forth on the porch last night — and she’s trying to save him. So she’s not being “stupid” or “selfish.” She’s being noble, and you can’t fault the girl for that. It’s the same reason we all love Matt Donovan (Zach Roerig.) Clearly, he’s having an effect on her.

Also, don’t forget that Elena is a teenage girl who’s lost nearly every one of her family members in a two-year span. Emotionally speaking, she’s damaged goods. So shouldn’t we put the blame, not on her shoulders, but on the shoulders of the 160-year-old brothers who are constantly tugging at her like she’s a gorgeous piece of meat? Maybe they need to get their acts together.

And this should also go without saying, but do NOT direct your anger at Vampire Diaries bosses like Julie Plecand Kevin Williamsonon Twitter. They know what they’re doing, and if it weren’t for them, we wouldn’t even have these characters to get all worked up about.

OK, that about ends my rant for the day. I apologize if I went a little overboard, but I’m starting to think we — and I include myself, for sure — have begun to let the madness get the best of us. It’s why Julie Plec, according to Entertainment Weekly, “takes breaks from Twitter to block out all the noise.”